The 2024 SAICE Presidential Inauguration of Andrew Clothier was held on Friday, 24 November at the President Hotel in Bantry Bay, Cape Town. Andrew will be SAICE’s 121st President. He is a dedicated committee member of the SAICE Western Cape branch, and also serves on SAICE national’s executive board.

New Gautrain CEO, Tshepo Kgobe, addressed the audience, speaking on the SAICE infrastructure report card that found that the Gautrain was the only A-grade infrastructure remaining in South Africa. He issued a stark warning that the engineering fraternity is in trouble and asked SAICE to think about ‘how do we build back better?’

Outgoing SAICE President, Steven Kaplan, presented his outgoing President’s address. He reflected on the past year, including his Make Engineering Great Again initiative that focused on infrastructure and increasing the relevance of the profession in the public sector. Steven presented the President’s award to two recipients, Michael Mhlanga and Dlozi Mnisi, for their efforts in re-establishing and driving the Future Leader’s Panel at SAICE.

Andrew’s address focused on rethinking civil engineering in South Africa. ‘Something is rotten with the state of infrastructure in South Africa.’ Showing findings from the infrastructure report card, he highlighted the link between functioning infrastructure and quality of life, and the decline of engineering professionals in the country. He also presented an Honourary Fellow Award to Errol Kerst for his service to SAICE and the industry.

Congratulations, Andrew, and all the best for 2024!